Tailed Jay Butterfly (Graphium agamemnon)

The Tailed Jay does not settle. It patrols gardens and forest edges with a rapid, darting flight that makes other swallowtails look sedate, and it often keeps its wings moving even while feeding - which is why it is one of the few butterflies more easily identified in the air than at rest.

The whole life cycle takes little more than a month, so the species produces brood after brood and stays active year-round across its range, from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to northern Australia. Linnaeus described it in 1758.

The bright green markings break up its outline against foliage when it does stop. Regional populations vary slightly in tail length and colour intensity, and males and females differ subtly. Unlike many relatives it seldom gathers at damp patches, though it still takes minerals from moist ground.

A vector illustration of the Tailed Jay in dorsal view, drawn for the Bugs series of insect art prints.

Bugs is a collection of natural history illustration prints drawn from the insect world - beetles, flies, bugs, butterflies, and moths selected for the strangeness, beauty, and variety of their forms.

Each illustration is adapted from Simon Tyler's book Bugs, published by Pavilion in 2017 and subsequently published in French and Chinese. The series draws on the tradition of scientific natural history illustration - precise, considered, and attentive to the details that make each species distinctive.

Insects account for the majority of all known animal species on Earth. This collection is a small survey of what that diversity looks like.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 70 × 50 cm · 28 × 20 in

XLarge · 100 × 70 cm · 40 × 28 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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